A Welcome Memory, A New Friend
by youfillmylungswithsweetness
Summary: Aura is stranded. Waking up in a cage surrounded by pirates wasn't the perfect way to start a family holiday. Escaping with the help of Jason Brody, she is determined to find her family once again. Will Aura survive Rook Island, now infested with privateers, pirates, slavers and emerging tribes?
1. Chapter 1-In the Morning When I Wake

Aurora felt the ache in her back while she was still sleeping. She gave a small groan and moved her hips in confusion. They were trapped between what felt like the headboard and a _very _hard mattress. Why was she lying in this position if it was making her so uncomfortable? What had she done last night to end up here anyway? Whatever it was it made her head pound. She moved her hand towards her face to brush away the strands of auburn hair that had escaped her ponytail, only to find that her fingers couldn't reach her face. Her eyes snapped open and she could finally see why she was in such pain. Her hands were bound above her head to the bamboo cage that surrounded her. The rocks and sticks from the dirt ground stuck into her back and she could feel them as they broke skin when she moved. She pulled herself from the ground using the ropes that held her hands together so she could finally see.

It was morning, but still dark. There was faint light to be seen over the fields of weed that surrounded the small set up of huts that Aurora was in the middle of. She let out a series of choked gasps as she looked around. At first she had thought herself alone, but she was wrong. The first one she noticed stood in a watch tower and what had bought him to attention was the red laser that swept the field. The next stood watch in front of a hut with his back to her. Two others sat in one of the makeshift shelters, playing cards. She could hear the baying of dogs behind her and she shivered. She recoiled, trying to make herself as small as possible, as though it would make her invisible.

The more Aura looked, the more she could see. Other bamboo cages behind trees and sheds, each holding two or three people. No one stirred, whether they were too scared or they were unconscious, Aura didn't know. Each person looked as average as herself, mere tourists. Now and then there was the familiar caramel coloured skin of the locals, but they seemed to be as trapped as her.

Aura couldn't think. She leaned back against the bamboo, staring at the clouds as they slowly lightened and there was a peak of a golden sunbeam on the horizon.

It took a few minutes, but Aura realised she wasn't alone. There was a dark shape in the corner of the cage, someone curled on the ground. Aurora's eyes adjusted with the light and she made out the small dark shape: Tara. A squeak escaped Aurora's lips as she took in her friends still, lifeless form, then it rose to a sob. A scream would have escaped her lips, had the guard with his back to her not charged over to her, rifle pointed at her head.

"Shut the fuck up," he growled in a thick, African accent and he pushed the barrel into her cheek. "If you make another fucking noise you'll join your friend, and your death won't be as quick." Aurora swallowed, and she shook as she bit on her tongue to stop from whimpering. Death was one thing, but she didn't want to imagine what they would do to her. "You're lucky Kano wants you in one piece, or you'd be ripped to shreds. All the new recruits think their tough shit, fucking the locals, but for something like you…" The man ran a finger over Aurora's cheek, before grabbing her jaw forcefully and forcing her to look at him.

He was scarred and dirty, no doubt like all the men. He had a rugged beard that probably hid even more bruises and wounds. Aurora clenched her jaw and tried to pull her face away, but he held on, digging his fingers into her cheeks. "They'd make sure you lasted a long time. No drugs, you'd be awake the whole time." His mouth pulled back into a feral smirk revealing what was left of his teeth as he let go.

Aurora buried her face down, and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to block everything out. She heard his footsteps retreat then come closer again. He opened the cage and stepped in, then leaned over her. "I'm sure he won't mind if I at least test you first. Just to check that you're worth the effort we're taking to keep you away from the new boys." He went to unzip his pants, but fell to the side, thumping to the ground and creating a small dust storm. There was another muffled crash as something-someone- fell from the guard tower and smacked onto the ground, issuing a sickening crack. Aurora's eyes widened as she saw a man walk from the bushes, fire two more silenced bullets-which pierced the heads of the two poker playing pirates- and then continued past her to the house. She stared after him. There was another thump, a curse followed by the sound of a fistfight, then silence. An alarm sounded, deafening Aura. She shook her head as if to dispel it, but nothing worked. A moment later, the man walked out again, carrying an old brief case. He began to walk off, not seeing her at all.

"We're eastbound-" the voice on the radio was interrupted by static and the arcane man paused to listen. "Three minutes-send-flare-" The transmission stopped suddenly, and then man sighed, placing the briefcase on the ground. He swung the rifle that was strapped over his shoulder into his hands and reloaded. He looked at the watchtower thoughtfully before making his way over.

"W-wait!" She gasped, know it may very well be her only chance of escaping. "Please, I need help. Please!" He turned to look at her, burning curiosity in his eyes, which she noted where deep green. His straight, dark brown hair stood on end, revealing his face to her. He had a slightly crooked nose, as though it had been broken then put back in place. His bottom lip was full, and had a scar running through it. His chin was hidden behind a layer of stubble. He stood at around 6'1" or so, and was a lean build. He wasn't much cleaner than the rest of the men around here, he even had claw marks on his cheek, but he didn't look at her wildly, like she was something to hunt, he looked at her as though she were an old friend or a welcomed memory. A faded blue shirt adorned his chest, which was slightly hitching as he breathed. Other than that, he wore torn and dirty brown pants, a pair of black sneakers and several bandages. What drew Aurora's attention was the tribal tattoo that crept its way up his left arm; she could just make out a spider, shark and a heron.

"Where are you from?" He said in awe. He stepped towards her and she flinched back instinctively. It probably didn't help that he stunk like a pig. He put hit hands up, noticed he was still holding a rifle and looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry," he muttered, tossing the weapon over his shoulder. Aurora shook her head.

"It's fine," she said, struggling to sit up straighter.

"Here," he said, coming forward quickly. He grabbed a machete from his belt and reached for her hands. He looked down at her as he leaned over her and cut the ropes with a fluid movement. "Listen, there are going to be more men coming. Hide in the bushes over there, while I deal with them." He looked as though he was about to dismiss her when he bit his lip and his hand went to his belt. "Take this," he said, handing her the handgun. "It's got a fully loaded, but don't use it unless you absolutely need to. Don't draw attention to yourself. If the noise or blood's too much, cover your ears and try to find somewhere to hide." She looked at him, eyes wide with worry and fear. "Don't worry," he said, straightening up and offering her his hand, "I do this all the time." And without hesitation, she took it.


	2. Chapter 2- First Blood

Aura ran to the bushes and made sure she was well concealed. The sticks poked uncomfortably into her back, but she'd bet her life that a bullet would hurt more. Her hideaway was only ten meters from the watchtower, and she watched closely as the man crouched down and balanced a large sniper rifle on the wooden rail. His chest moved rhythmically up and down until one moment, where he took a deep breath, released it and let his finger squeeze the trigger. There was a large bang from the gun, followed by a deafening one that was followed by billowing smoke and flames. There was yelling and shots from the other side of the tree line. Aura took a deep breath and flattened herself to the ground as she heard the sound of tires screeching approaching.

Her rescuer dropped the sniper and reached around four his fluorescent red rifle, it seemed he was no silent killer. In a flowing movement he chucked a grenade next the car. Its inhabitants scrambled out, yelling obscenity and ducked for cover. The grenade exploded and a storm of fire, dust and metal rained down, blinding Aura momentarily. She heard a thump coming from the direction of the watchtower and looked up in time to see the mysterious man jump over the rail of the watchtower and roll onto his shoulder as he struck the ground. He grunted, but it didn't deter him. He crouched and let a small burst of bullets fly from the barrel of his gun. They stuttered out and struck one of the men in the chest.

He ran straight to the heap of scrap metal that used to be a car and ducked down as bullets ricocheted off the doors. The pirates fired back without looking, lifting their guns above their cover to conceal their heads. From what Aura could see, there were four of them. One of them stood out, towering above the rest. He wore a helmet- somewhat like a wielders mask, but much thicker. Makeshift body armour adorned him and he looked to be around 6'7". In his hands, he carried a large machine gun; one that looked like it belonged bolted to the side of a chopper. He lumbered forwards, getting slightly knocked back every time one of her rescuer's bullets struck him, but not stopping. Her rescuer swore, and circled around the car, trying to go on the opposite side of the giant.

Aura watched, holding her breath, when she saw a figure duck by a window. One of the pirates had ducked into the house to her rescuer's left and was sneaking around behind him. Aura shifted for a moment, panicking. Before she could fully assess the situation, she had retreated from the bush, crouched over to the watchtower, and cowered behind a support beam. Taking a deep breath, she sprinted to the house and threw herself behind its tin wall. Her heart was racing in fright and she breathed deeply, gripping the handgun tightly.

There was a scuffle from behind the wall. Aura was sure that the pirate had seen her and was on his way. As quietly and quickly as she could, she snuck around the back, hoping to come around behind him. Just as she was about to turn the corner she heard more bullets; coming right from beside her. She froze and stole a look around the wall. Another pirate was standing there, half ducked behind a stack of boxes. Aura swallowed, knowing that as soon as she shot they would be looking for her too. She took a deep breath, and raised the gun, levelling it at the pirate's head.

A bullet burst from the gun, and then another, and another. Aura's fingers almost seemed stuck in a loop, as if she were unable to think about anything but making sure the man was dead. Her rescuer's head snapped up as he spotted her, and he urgently motioned for her to get down.

"Duck!" he yelled, pointing his rifle at her.

Without hesitation, she dropped to the ground, the rocks cutting into her hands. There was a thump as Aura felt a body crumple on top of her. Panicking, Aura wriggled out from underneath the corpse and kicked it away. She panted and heard a grunt from behind the boxes, followed by the sound of another body hitting the ground. Immediately, Aura looked around, scared that her rescuer had been killed.

What she saw, however, was the young man standing over the giant's body, a bloody dagger in his hand. He puffed, his knuckles tight and his muscles flexed as he tried to calm himself.

The world began to shake as if a volcanic eruption was happening. It turned from side to side until all Aura could see was the ground. Her rescuer ran over, propping her head up on his leg as he sat down and made her look at him. She gripped his arm tightly, becoming aware that she was the one shaking and that she had collapsed. Her vision swam; her rescuers face became a blur.

"I'm sorry about… everything." He muttered, gripping her hand. "Trust me, no one knows what you're going through better than I do. Did you know her?" He asked, nodding to Tara's body. Aurora nodded slowly. She didn't know what to think, she _couldn't _think. There was too much…Hesitantly, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and lifted her until she was leaning against his shoulder, but her head only felt heavier with the movement. "My name is Jason, Jason Brody. I was captured here about a year ago. Well, not in this exact spot,but on Rook Island."

"What's that?" She said dopily, trying to focus on his face for the moment, but it seemed as though he were underwater, or like there was something in the way. Slowly, black consumed her vision, until she could just see his eyes looking at her sympathetically.

"You're on it." And with that, the darkness won over.


	3. Chapter 3- Sweet Rain

There was a constant but slow tapping on the tin roof. It was soothing to hear the familiar sound of rain. The air was damp and sweet with moisture and it was cool in the early morning. The bed was not the softest she had slept on, but it was more comfortable than the floor, which Jason had taken to resting on, apparently reluctant to leave her. Without moving, she took in her surroundings. A small bedside table was to her left, decorated with chipped paint and a decaying book. The walls were made from wood, and had a few gaps here and there. There was a puddle on the rug-covered floor from the hole in the tin roof. There were few furnishings in the house, a wooden chair in the corner, a rifle and pistol on the floor and the blanket that Jason was lying on top of.

He wasn't sleeping, but staring at the ceiling as he absently ran his finger over the flat of his machete. Aurora watched him for while, the way his jaw would clench and unclench as though he would think of something peaceful that would be disturbed. He was soaking wet, water was pouring down from his hair and onto the ground and his t-shirt clung to his torso.

He finally became bored with the blade and stuck it into the ground. His eyes flickered over to Aurora then back to the roof, then back to Aurora as he realised she was awake. He sat up and gave her a sincere and empathetic smile.

"Sorry," he said straight away, as though he were the cause of all her problems.

"You say that too much," she blurted out. "I mean, thank you for your kindness, but you didn't knock me out or threaten me. Actually, you saved me. I should be thanking you." Slowly, she pushed back until she rested against the backboard, trying to ignore the pain in her back and the throbbing of her head. She paused for a moment, studying everything she could as she tried to think. "There's so much I want to ask you," she said, looking down at her hands, "But I have no idea where to start."

"How about the first thing you ask me is 'Where can I get food?' Because I could honestly go for some myself." He grinned at her and rose, stretching his arms once he had. His joints cracked as he did and he gave a satisfied sigh. "Are you feeling well enough to come out, or would you prefer if I bought some food in here?"

"I think it's best for me to get some air," she responded quickly. Now that she had the privilege of choice again, she wasn't going to waste it. Gingerly, she lifted the covers back. Her white shorts were now covered in dirt, mud and blood so they were almost completely brown with spots of red. Her cyan tank top was only slightly better, the blue still just visible under the filth. She had small grazes up her arms and legs, bruises on her knees and palms and a large cut on her thigh. There was dirt caked under her nails, two of which were missing. She didn't even want to think about what her hair looked like. She sighed, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It could've been worse. Of course, she was trying to focus on the physical injuries to repress her mental trauma, hoping that it would be a long time before she thought of it again.

Jason held onto Aurora's arm to keep her from toppling over. Everything went white for a moment before reappearing in front of her. She tentatively started to walk, trying to mask her expression as she winced. As soon as she seemed capable of supporting herself, Jason left her to open the door and grab his weapons; sticking the knife and pistol in his belt and strapping the rifle across his back. He walked out first, then gestured her to come through.

Aurora felt the steady drizzle of rain caress her face and start to remove the layers of grime that covered her, slowly freeing her of her skin-tight cell. She closed her eyes for a moment, cherishing the cool streams that ran down her arms and dripped off her fingers. Her hair fell on her face, brushing her cheeks gently. The moist air consumed her lungs and it was almost as though she could taste every breath.

When she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings she was amazed at the simple beauty. It was a small village, a collection of small shelters made of wood and tin, the walls painted white and blue and the roofs red. The rain drummed on the roofs and there was chatter of birds in a large tree. The villagers were spread around, under the tree and under shelters or even just standing in the rain. The smell of cooking meat filled Aurora's nose and she ached for it.

There were red, orange and yellow lights and lanterns strung between the houses, a few wall-less shelters and the thick tree. It was the only one inside the wooden fence outline, and its branches spread for meters, protecting the ground from the rain. In the middle of the tree was a hollow space, where two women sat and laughed. They were both very beautiful. Their hair was a glossy raven black, their skin caramel and their eyes a dark brown. They huddled in the shelter with a shawl wrapped around the two of them, and giggled as they ground spices.

When Jason approached they looked up and gave him friendly smiles. He stooped down and began to talk to them in a hushed tone. The two girls laughed again and nodded, and Jason beckoned Aurora.

"This is Masina and Sefina," he said, motioning to the women. They beamed at her in welcome. Masina wore a loose yellow t-shirt and denim shorts and had her hair out, which cascaded down her back in a tangle of black locks. Sefina had her hair in a bun with a pinkish orange flower tucked behind her ear. She wore a strapless peach wrap shirt, and denim shorts.

"Welcome," Sefina said, her voice was light but had a thick islander accent. "I'm sorry about what happened, and we will do what we can to help you feel at home here. We owe Jason that much."

"You were the ones who took me in first," he said, putting his hands up. "I repaid kindness. Now I am asking for another, and I will always be glad to pay the debt." Aurora wondered what Jason had done for these people; they seemed to accept them as one of their own.

"I'm Aurora," she said, smiling back, "But I prefer Aura. Thank you for your generosity. I will do what I can in return for your hospitality." Masina put down the knife she had been using to chop ginger and stood.

"Would you like to eat or clean up first? We have spare clothes that should fit you and there's plenty of water with this rain. The boar should be cooked within an hour, so you have time to wash before it is ready, unless you want to eat something else first?"

"A shower would be lovely," Aurora said, the desire obvious in her voice. The two girls giggled in unison.

"Not quite a shower," Sefina said, "Or at least, not the kind you'll be used to. Masina, I'll grab the clothes, do you want to show Aura the 'shower'?"

"Sure," Masina said, and smiled at Aura. "Follow me." Jason smiled in encouragement to Aura and turned to join the other villagers by the fire.

Masina led Aura to a fenced area at the back of the village, where the branches from the trees had leaned over to create a kind of cover. There was a large tank with a pipe leading from it.

"It's not the most complicated system, but it keeps us clean. This," she said, tapping on the wooden board at the end of the pipe, "Keeps the water in. Just lift away and it'll come out. It won't rush out; we made a filter for it. Since it's been raining lately, don't worry about using a lot of water. It's best that you clean that cut too." Sefina appeared from on the shelters and came over to them.

"Here," she said, handing the bundle she was carrying over to Aura. "There's soap, a brush, a towel, bandages and clothes. The pants should fit you, but the shirt belongs to one of the guys, so it's going to be a little big. There's a belt in there too if you need it." She smiled. "Come out when you're ready and we'll get you fed. Then the rest is up to you and Jason." With that, the two women walked away, leaving Aura wondering. She shook her head, no point in thinking about that which wouldn't help her.

It took three quarters of an hour, a whole bar of soap and immense lip biting, but finally Aura was clean. She'd spent most of her time either untangling her nest of hair or building up the courage to put her cut under the water, but it was worth it in the end, she no longer felt suffocated in the covering of grime. Sefina had been right; the pants fit but the shirt was much too big. Aura pulled the thick, brown belt around her waist where the faded red shit was loosest. They had given her a pair of black tights and brown lace-up boots, both of which fit perfectly. Lastly, there was a bandana. It was thin and red, almost like Rambo's. Aura smiled down at it, remembering how her little brother used to run around the house pretending to shoot them all down, all while having one of Aura's ribbons across is forehead. Still smiling, she wrapped it around her head and tied it tightly.

The rain had stopped by the time Aura made her way back to the tree. The smell of food was even stronger than before and Aura's stomach growled. Everyone had gathered around the bonfire and was lining up for food or standing around with drinks. Aura made her way over, looking for one of the girls or Jason, when someone whistled to her left. Leaning against the tree, with two gigantic plates of food, was one of the villagers. He was a sturdy build, much wider than Jason, but only just taller than Aura. He had the same caramel skin and pitch hair as all the other villagers and wore an unremarkable green tank top and faded jeans.

"Jason had to go," the man said, a dense accent coating every word. "He had a transmission from a fishing village not far from here. He'll be back soon." He offered her a plate. "He said you'd be hungry." Aura took it willingly.

"Hungry doesn't seem to cut it," she said, struggling not to drool over the aroma of the food.

"I am A'ala. You are Aurora, yes?" Aura nodded.

"I prefer Aura," she said, smiling.

"Will you sit with me, Aura?" A'ala asked, gesturing to a bench, a wooden plank rested on two cinderblocks. Aura looked abashed.

"Of course," she said, taking a seat. She hardly waited before digging in, her teeth sinking into the pork and she almost moaned with pleasure. A'ala let out a low chuckle and Aura looked over, her mouth stuffed with food. He was holding out a plastic knife and fork. "Oh," Aura said, but her mouth was so full it came out as "Mmph." She gulped down the food. "Sorry," she apologised, taking the cutlery. "I probably should have waited."

"Don't worry," he said, "There have been plenty of hostages who have shoved their faces in the plates. We know what it is to be hungry, and we do not judge."

"So you take in prisoners? The people who have been captured by the pirates?" She asked, taking another mouthful.

"As many as we can. Jason brings them here, or we come collect them when he rescues them." A'ala sighed, and toyed with his food. "But it seems no matter how many we help, there are more to take their place. Jason- he is brave and strong, but he is one man. One man who tries to care for two islands. The Rakyat help when they can, and so do we, but there's too much to do. Too many enemies."

"Who are the enemies? Are there many pirates here?"

"Not just pirates. Before Jason came, the islands were controlled by a man named Hoyt and his… employee Vaas. Vaas gave work to the pirates, using them to take hostages. Hoyt sold them, as well as drugs, to illegal markets in Africa and Asia. Jason was one of those hostages. He rose up, killed Hoyt, Vaas and most of their workers. But the islands were never free. For a time, there was hope. But more pirates came. The traders from Asia came for their stock. Hoyt's 'successor' tried to claim is army. And another tribe emerged led by a man who calls himself the Witch Doctor.

"Each of them seeks different things. They fight among themselves, but their targets are tourists and locals. They grow in number everyday and… and I sense that Jason is losing hope too. He was claimed as a warrior, but he left the tribe. No one here knows what happened, but one of our allies was never seen again. He works alone, doing what he can for the island. His battle was for vengeance but now? Now he lacks purpose. He does it because he doesn't have anything else." A'ala speared his pork with his knife and stared at it. He sighed, and set down the blade. "I'm sorry. We will help you to get home as soon as we can. Jason knows someone in America that used to be stationed here. Now and then they send ships over to retrieve hostages. You may have to stay here for a month or two, but we'll get you back." Aura shook her head.

"I came here with family, and I have to find them, I'm not leaving without them." A'ala looked over at her with sad eyes.

"Then you may never leave."


	4. Chapter 4- Here Boy!

Aura had wondered through the village-which she had found to be called Amanaki- several times, each lap being approached by a smiling villager. They were friendly and inviting, but Aura didn't want to be babied. She wanted to be moving, to be useful. And so, she began looking for ways to help. Finding there was nothing to do in the village, she went to look at a noticeboard just outside the gates. She followed a well-treaded path to the outskirts of Amanaki. She came to the edge of the forest, which turned then into a road. A broad river was beyond that, a bridge stretched over it to create a link between the lands on either side. A couple of cars were pulled up on the sides of the road (and strangely enough, Aura's first thought was that it illegal to park that way) with keys in the ignition and belongings left in the backseat.  
The cork of the noticeboard was hardly visible under the decayed and torn papers, withered away by rain and sun and wind. There were posters alerting people of man-eating animals in certain areas, rare beasts that would fetch good money, wanted criminals (or rather, more wanted than most), as well as people just searching for things, all from a certain kind of gun to a missing family member.  
Aura started with the one she guessed was most recent, a plain white paper with an intricate picture of a German Sheppard dog. Apparently it had gone missing on around Amanaki only the day before. The dog's name was simply 'Max'.  
Aura nodded to herself, wondering where to look. Her hand went to check what she had with her: an chipped and dirty watch that was somehow still in working condition, a backpack that one of the villagers had given her to carry water, a compass and a pocket knife, and the handgun that Jason had left with her.  
Luckily, Aura's father was a police officer and had taught her how to handle a gun at a young age. It was easy for her to reload and shoot the weapon, handling any recoil or jamming problems.  
The thought of Aura's father had her heart aching, so she decided to set off. She walked down to a small rubbish tip: if the dog was domesticated, chances were that it couldn't hunt and would search for easy food.  
The junkyard didn't smell (thankfully) although Aura had to watch where she stepped to avoid any shrapnel or glass cutting through the boots. They did a fair job though, crushing most of what she missed. The ground was littered with broken chairs, old tin roofs and walls, cabinets with doors that hung off their hinges, as well as a few miscellaneous items, like poker chips, tyres and tattered clothes.  
Aura's guess was that the junkyard was Rook Islands version of recycling. That if someone needed tin for a house, here it was. If someone wanted to spruce up an unwanted cupboard, no better place to come. And if someone wanted a rather frightening photo of a midget or a creepy dolls head, there was no better place.  
Aura paced the junkyard, whistling and calling for the dog. Her voice rang out in the empty space, the only thing competing with her was the rustling of leaves. But too close. The trees were at least 20 meters away, there was a rustling, much closer, just behind a pile of tower metal.  
Cautiously, Aura pulled out the handgun and gripped it tightly. She whistled again and the rustling came to an abrupt stop. There was a shift, the sound of feet shuffling on dirt, followed by a growl.  
"Max?" Aura said, backing up until she reached a dead car, then clambering on top of it. The large brown and black rounded the corner, eyes immediately on her. At a distance, he would have seemed like any other pet. But even with him 10 meters away, Aura could SMELL him. The stench of rotten flesh filled her nose and she grimaced, but kept still. The mutts fur was either matted or not there at all- revealing the raw and blusterous skin. Yellow-white foam dripped from the canines wicked sharp teeth as it neared its fangs and prowled towards her. His walk was shaky, like he'd had too much caffeine.  
Aura trained the handgun at the rabid dog's head, but did not squeeze the trigger, hoping in vain that it would decide that she was of little interest. It brown eyes, shot with red, watched the gun intently, all the while the canine was still making its way forward.  
Suddenly, it's head snapped to the side, breaking it's sight. Aura peered around to see what had distracted it. For a moment all she saw was an old cupboard, but another dog's head protruded from around the corner. This one was even scruffier than Max, it's fur spotted grey and it's flesh nearly the same colour.  
The dogs did not lunge at each other, nor sniff or bark. In fact, the moment the second dog caught Aura's scent, they began to approach her again. She was facing two rabid dogs. Then there were three. Then four. Then five. They came scuttling over tin and prowling around cars.  
Aura swallowed hard as the pack growled and frothed at her, taking their time to corner her, knowing that she couldn't escape. Max was the first one to break pace, growing impatient and finally sprinting over to her, teeth bared. The handgun kicked back in her hand as the bullet just grazed the mutt's shackle. There was a fearsome growl that was cut short as the second bullet went straight through its head, and the animal collapsed.  
The pack wasn't taking its time anymore. Aura backed up as far as she could, but her back hit the tin fence. There was no way she could climb it and now way she could out run a pack of dogs. She was going to have to fight.  
The gun kicked again. Miss. Shoot. Miss. Shoot. Hit! The bullet bit into a second canine's neck and it fell as the first. Three left. Aura aimed the shots up again, but her face dropped and heart stopped as she heard a clicking sound. The clip was empty. There were no more bullets.  
She chucked the gun at the closest dog, only three meters away. It yelped but then pushed through the pain. Aura grabbed for something, anything to use as a weapon. Her hand encountered something jagged and sharp, she felt it bite into her hand and draw blood. She picked up the toothed tin and gripped it tightly, ignoring the pain in her hand. One of the dogs pounced on the car and impatiently went at her, snapping for her thigh. Aura swung the tin and the dog tried to run, but it was too late. The metal struck the side of its neck and blood spurted. The canine fell to the ground, weakly twitching as its life drained.  
Aura heard another dog come up behind her and pulled at the tin, which was tightly nestled into the animal's jugular.  
"Shit!" She swore, feeling the car move as the fourth rabid dog hunted her. She spun, weaponless, as it pounced. It threw her to the ground, falling from the car and smacking her head on the dirt. She grabbed at its neck pushing with all her might to keep the sharp fangs from sinking into her throat. Its paws crushed her chest, stopping her from breathing. Around the deep, rumbling growl she heard the dog behind her bark and then yelp. Her arms began to shake under the canine's weight and its teeth began to edge their way closer to her face. She could feel its hot breath as it teetered closer, its racing heart beating under her fingers as she pushed. It jaws opened and Aura new this was going to be it. She'd made it out of a pirate camp only to be eaten by a dog.  
The dogs mouth fell onto her jugular as Aura's arms gave way, but it's teeth did not pierce the skin. In fact, the dog just lay on top of her, blood seeping from its head. The body was hefted off of her and she could breath again. The clean air rushed into her lungs as the figure, silhouetted by the sun, looked down menacingly.  
Aura's eyes adjusted and she finally met the dark blue stare of Jason, the same rifle he had this morning gripped tightly in his hands. Begrudgingly, he shouldered it and offered his hand to her. She took it, suddenly guilty for putting herself in danger. He would have saved her for nothing.  
"What were you doing?" His voice was gruff but not a angry as expected.  
Aura rubbed the back of her head gingerly. It stung.  
"I just… I didn't want to sit around all day. I wanted to be doing SOMETHING, I didn't care what." She looked at the ground in embarrassment. "I am sorry. I'll go back to Amanaki and get out of your way." Aura turned to leave, but a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. She turned, but Jason didn't drop his hand. He look conflicted, like he was going to tell a secret.  
"You really want to help?" He asked finally, looking at her with serious eyes. Aura nodded, sure that there was nothing she'd rather do. "And you don't mind all of this?" Jason gestured to the bloody mess around them, the stench of rotten flesh, the mangled corpses. Aura shook her head.  
"I'll be fine. I'm not as fragile as you may think." Jason's expression didn't change, but his hand fell from her shoulder.  
"Okay. Listen, I have a few safe houses around the island. I'll take you back to one of those and I can train you. But I'm warning you now- what I do isn't pleasant and definitely not easy. I'm not always going to be here to save you. If you do this there's a large chance you'll die." He stared at Aura heavily, waiting for her to grasp the gravity of the situation.  
"I understand," Aura said, nodding her head slowly. "But I'm still going to come."  
Jason, for a moment, looked as if he was going to take the offer back. He looked off for a moment, lost in thought. As suddenly as he had drifted he was back again.  
"You do what I say, when I say- understand?" Aura nodded again. "Did you leave anything in Amanaki?"  
"No," Aura said, sure that everything was in her backpack. He nodded, eyes still distant.  
"Then let's get going."

* * *

**Sorry for taking so long to update, but I should be getting back to a routine soon! I'm working on so many ideas that I just don't seem to have the time to write them all and keep up with school work. I hope you guys like the update. **

**Oh and this may be one of my longest fanfics. I'm planning for this to be like a full length sequel. If I have time and stick to it. Thanks for reading! :]**


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